Previous Next

Y'all gonna have a mighty big prarblem when you arrive at Southfork. Sue-Ellen has a proposition for you which JR ain't gonna like.

Jock Ewing left a map of a new and rich oilfield with his old chum and former wildcatter, Chugalug Jones, who now runs a trading post in South America. Sue-Ellen wants you to get the map for her so that she can become financially independent of JR. But she's got to beat JR to it.

Dallas Quest is a traditional text adventure complemented by high quality graphics and occasional sound effects.

Each location is impressively depicted in high resolution, filling the top half of the screen. What's more, certain objects in the picture disappear and reappear as you take or drop them. The text area occupies the lower half of the screen, the picture staying put until you move to another location. You can enter text-only mode by typing PICTURE - the same command brings the graphics back when you want them.

To make life easier, the game offers numerous clues, but will allow you to access only up to nine of them in one game. The number of clues available is displayed at the top beside an indicator of possible exits from the current location.

The familiar theme tune trumpets out and you find yourself in the living room at Southfork, with Sue-Ellen sitting demurely on the sofa. Your first major problem is getting out of Southfork - JR just might have hired some burly ranch-hands to watch out for you. If caught, you'll see a giant fist crashing towards you before everything starts to go black.

Once in the South American jungle, you'll meet a delightful monkey with a habit, and I don't mean clothes. Watch out for a cannibal chief since there's more to him than meets the eye.

Not all the objects you find will be of use, but it's up to you to discover which are the red herrings. It's a good-humoured adventure - try blowing the bugle, firing a rifle, or feeding the horse.

Violence is almost non-existent so, with the availability of a large number of very helpful hints, Dallas Quest is an ideal adventure for the family.

Undoubtedly the best designed graphics I've seen in an adventure. It's a jolly yarn and one which will give a lot of pleasure whether you're a Dallas fan or not.